My third day of work included something called a PIE meeting. And no, food was not served (I'm really good at dad jokes). PIE stands for post-interim event, where the team discusses any significant changes between interim (first 9 months of the year) and end-of-year field work, as well as getting prepared for the financial statements/ earnings release audit. I was tasked with taking notes and asking questions. It's quite interesting to hear the high-level/ conceptual views of the audit as well as watch the team interact to create a good working atmosphere. Even across the globe, I can tell that EY has similar values in their offices and it is really easy to build relationships with coworkers, especially people our age.
On Friday, we went to a pub for a farewell lunch with a new/ former coworker of mine, John Thompson. John will be moving across the globe to attend the University of Michigan to earn his MBA! It was really exciting to meet someone similar in age who was moving to the States and had questions. I had a lamb burger, and it's definitely better than a hamburger.
A highlight of my trip so far is during work, watching a guy dance on a streetlight in a purple outfit to Call Me Maybe. The street performers here are very unique, to say the least. After work on Friday, the interns met up with a tax director (similar to a partner) from the States who has been with the firm for 20 years. We all loved getting to know her and it was nice having someone take care of us! We celebrated the 4th at the Australian Hotel, then moved the adventures down to a bar called the Orient for some live music. Everyone goes out right after work on Fridays in their work clothes. For dinner, I had kangaroo pizza, which was even more amazing than chicken feet!
-Dinner with Carolyn the director and interns!
After the partner and her husband left, we went out to a bar on another side of Sydney. It was your typical young people/ college bar, and it's safe to say that bars like these are very similar across the world.
Saturday was my favorite day of the trip so far, easily. We took a bus to Bondi Beach, and it can basically be summed up in this photo:
The transportation in Sydney is phenomenal compared to the States. The ferries, trains/ subways, and buses are so easy to navigate quickly, and are extremely clean. We had breakfast at a really cute cafe, and after walking the beach for a couple hours we had gelato. I'm not very cultured in the gelato department, but it was better than anything I've had in the States.
After the beach, the interns took a ferry to Carolyn's house on Manly Beach for an American barbecue. We met a new partner in international tax as well; she's on a three-year rotation here. Don't worry Mom, I won't be doing that anytime soon! But seriously, EY is so great because of all the connections and relationships you can build anywhere. It was really fun to hang out with these partners and their families, and get to see their lives outside of work!
-hangin' out beachside
On Sunday, we woke up really early to start our tour of the Blue Mountains, which is about 1.5 hours away from our apartment. To my surprise (probably because I've been along for the ride and haven't planned too much), we stopped at a wildlife park before the tour. This park blew the zoo we saw last week out of the water. You could pet and feed kangaroos and koalas! See here:
-real life Koko
...and the cutest picture ever.
We finally got to the Blue Mountains, and the view was just awe-inspiring. We walked around for a bit, then took a skyway, then cableway, then railray around the mountains. We had some breathtaking views, and it was really cool to see all the different things Australia has to offer.
-Chillin with the Three Sisters Mountains
Next weekend, we are going to an Aussie Football game as well as going to a winery tour, which I'm really excited for. We also just booked our Great Barrier Reef flight for July 18-20, and I'm even more excited for that. The fun never ends! Look for an update sometime this week.
Hope the 4th weekend was (and is) great!
Regards,
Carmen
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